P Plate Rules Australia: Every State Compared

Photo: Marcus Wong, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

P plate rules in Australia are set by each state and territory. Speed caps, night curfews, passenger limits and phone bans all change at the border. This checklist compares P1 (red) and P2 (green) restrictions in all eight jurisdictions, for new drivers and the parents who hand over the keys.

Key facts

Zero alcohol applies to P platers in every state and territory.
Western Australia and South Australia are the only states with a standing P plate night curfew (midnight to 5am). Queensland can add a late-night restriction after a suspension. WA’s applies to all red P drivers, and SA’s applies to P1 drivers under 25.
Late-night passenger limits (one young passenger between 11pm and 5am) apply to P1 drivers under 25 in both NSW and Queensland.
Victoria limits all P1 drivers, and Tasmania P1 drivers under 25, to one peer passenger at all times. Western Australia limits red P drivers to one passenger of any age.
Speed caps exist in NSW (P1 90 km/h, P2 100 km/h), South Australia (100 km/h), Tasmania (P1 100 km/h) and the Northern Territory (100 km/h).

P plate rules by state at a glance

State	P period	Speed cap	Night and passenger limits	Phone
NSW	P1 at least 12 months, P2 at least 24 months	P1 90 km/h, P2 100 km/h	P1 under 25: 11pm to 5am, only one passenger under 21 (exemptions available)	No use at all on P1 or P2
VIC	Under 21: P1 1 year then P2 3 years. 21+: P2 3 years	Posted limit	P1: no more than one passenger aged 16 to under 22	No touching or voice control on P1 or P2
QLD	P1 then P2 (periods depend on age)	None; posted limits apply	P1 under 25: 11pm to 5am, no more than one passenger under 21 (immediate family excepted)	P1 under 25: none; P2: hands-free allowed
WA	Red 6 months, green 18 months	Posted limit	Red P: no driving midnight to 5am; one passenger at all times (exemptions)	Same rules as all drivers
SA	P1 1 year, P2 2 years	100 km/h (P1 and P2)	P1 under 25: no driving midnight to 5am; one passenger aged 16 to 20	P1: no phone function
TAS	P1 12 months, then P2	P1 100 km/h, P2 posted	P1 under 25: one passenger aged 16 to under 22	P1: none; P2: full licence rules
ACT	3 years (red P1 for the first 12 months if under 25 at learner licence)	Posted limit	P1: late-night peer passenger restriction	Check with Access Canberra
NT	2 years (1 year if 25+)	100 km/h	None listed in the handbook	No phone function, including hands-free

New South Wales

Periods: P1 (red) for at least 12 months, valid for 18 months. P2 (green) for at least 24 months. Each P2 suspension for unsafe driving adds 6 months.
Speed: 90 km/h on P1 and 100 km/h on P2, even where signs allow more.
Phones: none at all, including maps, music and hands-free, even when stopped. You may show a digital licence to police and use wallet functions when stationary in places such as a car park or drive-through.
Passengers (P1 under 25): between 11pm and 5am, no more than one passenger under 21. Exemptions can be granted, for example for work or driving family members, by applying at a service centre.
Cars: no high-performance cars, meaning a power-to-mass ratio over 130 kW per tonne, significant engine modifications, or a listed banned vehicle.
Towing: on P1, light trailers up to 250 kg unladen only.
Demerit limits: 4 points on P1 and 7 on P2. Any speeding offence puts a P1 driver over the limit.

Full details: NSW learner, P1 and P2 restrictions and banned high performance cars for NSW P platers.

Victoria

Periods: if you are under 21 when you get your licence, you hold P1 (red) for at least 1 year and then P2 (green) for at least 3 years. If you are 21 or over, you go straight to P2 for 3 years.
Speed: no P plate speed cap.
Phones (P1 and P2): you must not touch or voice-control a phone or device. Navigation or audio set up before you drive is allowed.
Passengers (P1): no more than one passenger aged 16 to under 22. Immediate family are exempt, and so is having a fully licensed supervising driver beside you.
Cars: P1 and P2 drivers must not drive probationary prohibited vehicles, such as those over 130 kW per tonne or with a performance-modified engine.
Towing (P1): no towing, with exemptions for work, farming and supervision.
Demerit limit: fewer than five points in twelve months.
Automatics: if you passed your test in an automatic, you can drive automatics only.

Full details: Victorian P1 and P2 rules.

Queensland

Who starts on P1: drivers aged 17 or over who are under 25 get a P1 licence first.
Phones (P1): no phone use for any reason, and passengers must not use a phone’s loudspeaker. Drivers over 25 may use a phone hands-free. On P2, hands-free use is allowed and the passenger limit ends.
Passengers (P1 under 25): between 11pm and 5am, no more than one passenger under 21 who is not an immediate family member.
Cars: P1 and P2 drivers under 25 must not drive high-powered vehicles. The test depends on when the car was built:
- Built from 1 January 2010: a power-to-weight ratio over 130 kW per tonne, or an engine modification that needs approval under section 17 of the Vehicle Standards and Safety Regulation 2021
- Built before 1 January 2010: 8 or more cylinders, a turbocharged or supercharged engine that is not diesel, more than 210 kW, a rotary engine over 1,146 cc, or an engine modification that needs approval under section 17 of that regulation
Night driving after a suspension: late-night driving restrictions from 11pm to 5am can apply after a suspension or during a good driving behaviour period.

Full details: Queensland P1 and P2 rules.

Western Australia

Plates: red P plates for the first 6 months and green for the remaining 18 months.
Night curfew (first 6 months): no driving between midnight and 5am. The curfew does not apply when travelling to, from or for paid or voluntary work, training or education. Carry proof, such as a letter from your employer.
Passengers (first 6 months): one passenger only, at all times. The exceptions are:
- an experienced driver who has held a C class licence for at least 4 years
- immediate family members
- passengers you carry for your work, with an employer letter in the car
Alcohol: zero. A BAC of 0.02 or more can lead to disqualification and cancellation of a provisional licence.
Demerit limits: 4 points in your first year of driving (this includes learners) and 8 points in your second year. Either leads to at least 3 months’ disqualification.

Full details: WA red P plate rules and WA novice demerit points.

South Australia

Periods: P1 for 1 year, then P2 for 2 years.
Speed: 100 km/h maximum on P1 and P2. Going 10 km/h or more over any limit breaches your licence conditions.
Alcohol and drugs: zero alcohol, and no THC, methylamphetamine or MDMA, on P1 and P2.
Night curfew (P1 under 25): no driving between midnight and 5am unless a qualified supervising driver is beside you or an exemption applies. Exemptions include work, education and some volunteer activities, and you must take the shortest practicable route.
Passengers (P1 under 25): no more than one passenger aged 16 to 20. Immediate family do not count.
Phones (P1): no phone function at all.

Full details: SA P1 rules and SA P2 licence rules.

Tasmania

P1 (red): 12 months, 100 km/h maximum, zero alcohol.
Phones (P1): a total ban, including hands-free and voice activation. Music or GPS set up before driving is allowed.
Passengers (P1 under 25): no more than one passenger aged 16 to under 22. Exemptions apply for work, essential activities and special family circumstances.
P2 (green): drive to the posted limit and follow the full licence phone rules (a commercial mount or hands-free only).
P2 length: 2 years if you are under 23 when you get your P2.
Demerits: 4 or more points within 12 months makes a provisional licence liable to a 3 month suspension.

Full details: Tasmanian P1 and P2 rules.

Australian Capital Territory

Periods: the provisional period is 3 years. If you were under 25 when you got your learner licence, you display red P plates for the first 12 months (P1), then green plates (P2). Drivers 25 and over go straight to P2.
Passengers (P1): a late-night peer passenger restriction applies. Check the exact hours and ages with Access Canberra before you carry friends at night.
Speed: the ACT handbook says provisional drivers may drive to the posted limit in the ACT, but must check the rules in other states.
Alcohol and demerits: zero alcohol. 4 or more demerit points leads to a 3 month suspension.

Full details: ACT learner and P plate rules.

Northern Territory

Period: 2 years, or 1 year if you are 25 or older. A suspension adds its length to the period, and a cancellation restarts it.
Speed: 100 km/h maximum, regardless of the posted limit.
Conditions:
- red P plates front and rear, and on any trailer
- zero alcohol
- no phone function at all, including hands-free and loudspeaker
- you must not supervise a learner
- towing is allowed
Demerits: 5 or more points in 12 months, or 12 in three years, suspends the licence.
After your Ps: a zero alcohol (Z) condition continues for 12 more months or until you turn 25, whichever comes first.

Full details: NT P plate rules.

Checklist for new P platers and parents

Know your speed cap, if your state has one.
Check the passenger rule before offering friends a lift, especially late at night.
In WA and SA, know whether the midnight to 5am curfew applies to you and what proof an exemption needs.
Check that the car is allowed. NSW, Victoria and Queensland restrict high-powered cars for P platers.
Set up navigation and music before you move off, or follow a total phone ban if your state has one.
Remember zero alcohol, including the morning after a night out. See zero alcohol for learners and P platers.
Driving interstate? Read driving interstate on L or P plates.

Common questions

Which states have a P plate curfew?

Western Australia and South Australia. In WA, red P drivers cannot drive between midnight and 5am in their first 6 months, with work and education exemptions. In SA, P1 drivers under 25 have the same hours unless supervised or exempt. NSW and Queensland limit passengers late at night instead of banning driving.

How many passengers can I carry on red Ps?

WA: one at all times, with exemptions.
Victoria: no more than one aged 16 to under 22.
Tasmania: no more than one aged 16 to under 22, if you are under 25.
SA: no more than one aged 16 to 20, if you are under 25.
NSW (P1 under 25): one passenger under 21, between 11pm and 5am.
Queensland (P1 under 25): no more than one passenger under 21 who is not immediate family, between 11pm and 5am.

Can P platers use Google Maps?

It depends on the state. In Victoria and Tasmania (P1), you can use navigation that you set up before driving, without touching it. In NSW and the NT, P platers cannot use any phone function, including maps. In Queensland, P1 drivers under 25 cannot use a phone at all.

Do P2 drivers have a speed limit?

In NSW, P2 is capped at 100 km/h. In South Australia, P1 and P2 are both capped at 100 km/h. In the NT, provisional drivers are capped at 100 km/h. In Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia, P2 or green P drivers can drive to the posted limit.

Can I drive a turbo car on my Ps?

In Queensland, a non-diesel turbocharged or supercharged car built before 2010 counts as high-powered for P drivers under 25, but turbo is only one of several grounds. For cars built from 2010, the test is power-to-weight (over 130 kW per tonne), and for cars of any age an engine modification that needs approval also counts. Some vehicles are on a permitted list, and exemptions exist. NSW and Victoria use a power-to-mass test of 130 kW per tonne, plus modified engines and listed vehicles. Check each car before you buy.

Do my home state’s P rules apply when I drive interstate?

NSW says its L and P restrictions still apply in other states and territories. The ACT handbook says ACT P drivers must follow the alcohol limit of the state they are in and check its speed rules. Follow whichever rule is stricter.

Sources

Transport for NSW, “Road User Handbook” (nsw.gov.au)
Department of Transport and Planning Victoria, “Road to Solo Driving” (transport.vic.gov.au)
Queensland Government, “Provisional licence restrictions”, “P1 provisional licence” and “P2 provisional licence” (qld.gov.au)
Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Drive Safe: A handbook for Western Australian road users” (transport.wa.gov.au)
Government of South Australia, “P1 provisional licence” and “Provisional Driver’s Licence (P1 and P2) conditions and laws” (mylicence.sa.gov.au)
Department of State Growth Tasmania, “Tasmanian Road Rules, Version 2.1” (transport.tas.gov.au)
Plates Plus Tasmania, “Summary of novice car licensing pathway” and “Progressing to your full licence” (platesplus.tas.gov.au)
Department of State Growth Tasmania, “Demerit points” (transport.tas.gov.au)
Access Canberra, “Get your provisional driver licence” (accesscanberra.act.gov.au)
Access Canberra, “ACT Road Rules Handbook” (accesscanberra.act.gov.au)
Northern Territory Government, “NT Road Users’ Handbook” (nt.gov.au)

P Plate Rules in Australia: Every State Compared